U.S. Embassy Jakarta

Mission Statement

Based on mutual respect

and shared values, the U.S

Mission works with

Indonesia to strengthen

democracy, sustain the

environment, promote

prosperity, enhance

understanding and

ensure security for our

people, our nations, and

our region.

Inside this issue:

Defense Secretary

Robert M. Gates in

Indonesia, July 22, 2010

1

Indonesia-U.S.

Comprehensive

Partnership: Political and

Security Cooperation

2

U.S. Embassy Jakarta

Offices for Military

Cooperation

3

IRC Resources on U.S.

Military Issues

4

About IRC 4

Compiled by Information Resource Center, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy Jakarta

U.S. MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE REGION April 2011

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in Indonesia, July 22, 2010

Gates Seeks Stronger Military

Ties With Indonesia

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

arrived on July 22, 2010 for meet-

ings intended to enhance defense

ties between the United States and

Indonesia.

The secretary’s first order of busi-

ness here was to inform Indonesian

President Susilo Bambang Yud-

hoyono that the United States will

begin a process of re-engagement

with Kopassus, the special forces

branch of Indonesia’s army.

―I was pleased to be able to tell the

president that as a result of Indone-

sian military reforms over the past

decade, the ongoing professionaliza-

tion of the [Indonesian armed

forces], and recent actions taken by

the ministry of defense to address

human rights issues,‖ Gates told

reporters after his meeting with

Yudhoyono, ―the United States will

begin a gradual, limited program of

security cooperation activities with

the Indonesian army special forces.‖

Gates said he told Yudhoyono that

these initial steps would be taken

within the limits of U.S. law, and that

they do not signal any lessening of

the importance the United States

places on human rights and ac-

countability.

―What’s more,‖ he

added, ―our ability

to expand upon

these initial steps

will depend upon

continued imple-

mentation of re-

forms within Kopas-

sus and the

[Indonesian mili-

tary] as a whole.‖

U.S. and Indonesian

officials have been working for some

time to figure out how, and under

what conditions, the United States

can re-engage with Kopassus, a

senior official told reporters on

background. ―We certainly want to,‖

he said, ―but it’s important that this

is done in accordance with our laws

and our values and our interests.‖

Congress cut off military training

assistance to Indonesia in 1992 after

Indonesian security forces shot and

killed East Timorese demonstrators

in November 1991. The restriction

was partially lifted in 1995, but mili-

tary assistance programs were

suspended again after violence and

destruction in East Timor following

an Aug. 30, 1999, referendum favor-

ing independence from Indonesia.

Though normal military relations

between the United States and Indo-

nesia have resumed, the issue of

providing training for Kopassus

remained unre-

solved until

earlier this

week, the offi-

cial said.

―I think every-

body can recog-

nize that the

transformation

that Indonesia

has made as a

country and

that the military

has made has

been remarkable over the past

decade-plus since the fall of

[President] Suharto,‖ the official

said. ―The military itself has greatly

improved its human rights record,

and all of that has enabled us to re-

engage more.‖

The final breakthrough came when

in compliance with a U.S. request,

Indonesia removed all individuals

from Kopassus who had been con-

victed of human rights crimes asso-

ciated with the violence around the

time of East Timor’s separation

from Indonesia, the senior official

said. The number was ―fewer than a

dozen,‖ he added. Pentagon Press

Secretary Geoff Morrell noted that

retirements, attrition and the ongo-

ing professionalization of the Indo-

nesian military have changed Kopas-

sus in the decade

—— Continue to page 3

Indonesian military members greet

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M.

Gates upon his arrival at the Halim

Perdanakusuma International Airport

in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 22, 2010.

Information Package

Page 2 U.S. MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE REGION

Indonesia-U.S. Comprehensive Partnership: Political and Security Cooperation

Convention and the Biological Weapons Conven-

tion, as well as pursuing ratification of the Com-

prehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT);

9. To enhance cooperation in strengthening the

UN peacekeeping operations, through, inter alia,

enhancing the capacity of the peacekeeping

training centre in Indonesia, as well as support-

ing the establishment of the police peacekeeping

training centre. These centers in the future

could serve as a network hub for regional

peacekeeping training centers;

10. To promote close cooperation in law enforce-

ment and legal assistance, including for the

purpose of international asset recovery from

either the respective jurisdiction of the two

countries or third countries within the relevant

international legal instruments; to continue

working toward a bilateral mutual legal assis-

tance treaty;

11. To work closely in maritime issues and ocean

affairs through information exchanges, and

building capabilities for hazardous material

spills response;

12. To sustain efforts towards the effective re-

form of the UN system, with a view to strength-

ening multilateralism and reinforcing the role of

the UN in maintaining and promoting interna-

tional peace and security.

Source: http://goo.gl/hilM7

September 17, 2010

Plan of Action to Implement the Indonesia-U.S.

Comprehensive Partnership

To give substance to the Indonesia-U.S. Compre-

hensive Partnership, and notwithstanding the

possibility of exploring other areas of coopera-

tion, U.S. Department of State, Under Secretary

for Political Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and

Pacific Affairs dedicate them selves to expand-

ing and deepening the cooperation for Political

and Security on the following priorities:

1. To deepen and broaden cooperation in promot-

ing good governance, democracy, and human

rights, by enhancing dialogue and capacity build-

ing through bilateral, regional, and multilateral

initiatives such as the Bali Democracy Forum

(BDF);

2. To uphold human rights and fundamental free-

doms for all on the basis of equality, and to

promote and to protect such rights and free-

doms in all levels of society and in cooperation

with the international community in accordance

with the principles of the UN Charter and inter-

national human rights instruments;

3. To work together through the UN and in coop-

eration with relevant institutions such as ASEAN

to find common ground on the protection and

promotion of human rights;

4. To become partners in maintaining regional

and international peace and security in South-

east Asia and beyond. To strengthen regional

and multilateral approaches in promoting inter-

national peace and cooperation, including

through relevant institutions such as ASEAN, the

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the UN;

5. To strengthen bilateral defense and security

cooperation through dialogue and capacity build-

ing as appropriate in areas such as security

sector reform, training, education, personnel

exchanges, intelligence exchange, peacekeeping

operations, maritime security, nuclear safety

and security, humanitarian assistance/disaster

relief operations, and military equipment; to

work together under the recently signed frame-

work arrangement between the Government of

the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of

the United States of America on Cooperative

Activities in the Field of Defense;

6. To strengthen cooperation in preventing and

combating non-traditional challenges in regional

security; including disaster management and

response, maritime security, counter-terrorism,

smuggling of migrants and trafficking in per-

sons, illicit drug trafficking, illicit trafficking of

nuclear materials and radioactive sources,

communicable diseases, corruption, money

laundering, cyber crime and international eco-

nomic crimes, natural resources crimes, illegal

logging and its associated trade, and illegal,

unregulated and unreported fishing; through

enhancing capacity building, border manage-

ment, exchange of information and regular con-

sultation mechanism bilaterally; and through

ASEAN and the ARF; as well as through the Ja-

karta Center for Law Enforcement Cooperation

(JCLEC);

7. To reaffirm the role of ASEAN as the primary

driving force in developing regional cooperation

through the establishment of ASEAN Community,

as well as the United States’ important role in

the maintenance of peace and security in South-

east Asia, including through its accession to the

ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and

through efforts to

resolve outstanding issues related to the Treaty

on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free

Zone;

8. To promote international peace and security

through cooperation in achieving disarmament

and non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass De-

struction (WMD), in accordance with the Nuclear

Non Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons

Indonesia: PM’s Foreign Military Financing

supports Indonesian efforts to reform its

military and to build its capacity for re-

sponding to disasters and participating in

peacekeeping operations.

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs' Regional

Programs: East Asia and the Pacific

Link: http://goo.gl/9JFmf

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in Indonesia, July 22, 2010

Continued from page 1

since the violence took place and United States

broke off engagement with the unit.

―It is a different unit than its reputation sug-

gests,‖ he said. ―Clearly, it had a very dark past,

but they have done a lot to change that. There is

more to do

We think they’ve made steps that warrant us

beginning a process of having contact and work-

ing with them once again, but there is more work

to do. And we are going to help them out along

the way to try and make sure this unit is as pro-

fessional and respectful of human rights as pos-

sible.‖

No operational training is involved, though a plan

for how the process will begin has not yet been

formulated, given that the re-engagement discus-

sions reached this point only days ago, the offi-

cial said. At first, he said, staff talks about educa-

tion and professionalization training may take

place, and human rights training, medical en-

gagements or other forms of cooperation may

follow.

Congress has been briefed, the official said, and

the White House and the State Department are

―fully supportive.‖ State Department officials will

conduct vetting for any Kopassus members nomi-

nated for training, he added, to ensure Indonesia

is honoring the commitments it made that al-

lowed the re-engagement process to begin. That

compliance, and continued progress in profes-

sionalization, will determine how far and how

quickly the level of re-engagement grows, he

said.

―We think this is an important part to ensuring

that we can solidify and really gain better trac-

tion on reform and professionalization that we all

– U.S. and Indonesian – seek from [the Indone-

sian armed forces],‖ he said. ―And to ignore an

important unit … really actually hurts the process

of ensuring that these reform efforts get insti-

tuted throughout the armed forces of Indonesia.‖

―We consider this a very significant development

in our military-to-military relationship,‖ Gates

said, ―and look forward to working even more

closely with [Indonesia’s armed forces] in the

years to come.‖

Source: http://www.defense.gov/news/

newsarticle.aspx?id=60118

Related Sites:

Biography of Robert M. Gates

Link: http://goo.gl/4lQuk

Special Report: Travels With Gates

Link: http://goo.gl/ZdjPw

State Department Background Note on Indonesia

Link: http://goo.gl/g7s01

Transcript

Link: http://goo.gl/buLzi

Photo Essay: Gates Meets with Indonesian

Leaders

Link: http://goo.gl/uUkWC

Page 3 U.S. MILITARY STRATEGY IN THE REGION

U.S. Military Offices at The U.S. Embassy Jakarta

Defense Attaché Office (DAO),

U.S. Embassy Jakarta

The Defense Attachè Office (DAO), headed by the

Defense Attachè, is located in the Chancery. The

United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine

Corps all have personnel assigned to the DAO.

DAO personnel maintain military-to-military con-

tact with their counterparts in Indonesia. DAO

personnel also assist Indonesia in the moderniza-

tion of its armed forces by helping to obtain U.S.

military equipment and by conducting military

exchange programs that enable some of Indone-

sia's military officers to study temporarily at U.S.

military schools. Source: http://

jakarta.usembassy.gov/def_attache_ofc.html

Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC),

U.S. Embassy Jakarta

The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) provides

advice and assistance to the Defense Attaché and

the Chief of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission on secu-

rity assistance matters and develops plans and

programs in support of U.S. and Indonesian poli-

cies. ODC programs are aimed at providing assis-

tance to the professionalization of the Indonesian

military and increasing the capabilities of those

civilian government agencies that exercise con-

trol over the military. These program include

providing training and education for Indonesian

military and civilian government officials, as well

as planning and supervising military to military

engagement activities in conjunction with U.S.

Embassy and U.S. Pacific Command goals. ODC

also provides guidance and assistance to Indone-

sian officials seeking military equipment from

U.S. business or government sources. The direc-

tor of ODC is U.S. Army Colonel, whose title is

Military Attaché for Defense Cooperation. The

ODC office is located in the Chancery. Source:

http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/

ofc_defense_coop.html

COL Russell N. Bailey

Senior Defense Official / Defense Attaché

Embassy of the United States of America

Jakarta, Indonesia

Articles and web-sites described in this info package present a diversity of views in order to keep our IRC users abreast of current issues in the

United States. These items represent the views and opinions of the authors and do not necessary reflect official U.S. Government policy.

About the IRC

The U.S. Embassy’s Information Resource Center (IRC) in Jakarta is a specialized reference and research facil-

ity. Our goal is to provide you with accurate, up-to-date and authoritative information about U.S. society and

policy materials, cover such topic as U.S. foreign policy, government, economics and trade, history, social and

cultural issues.

The IRC collection includes an up-to-date reference collection, a periodicals section, and access to extensive

online databases. For details on reference and periodical collections, please check our online catalog at

http://69.63.217.22/U10086Staff/OPAC/index.asp. For all IRC information products, including this info pack-

age are available online at: http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/infoproduct.html

Our professionally-trained reference specialists use print and periodical collections as well as online data-

bases and the Internet to retrieve the information that you need quickly, conveniently, and free of charge. In-

formation queries may be submitted to us by phone, fax, mail, and e-mail. You are also welcome to visit us by

appointment for personal research assistance.

Contact Info:

Information Resource Center (IRC)

Public Affairs Section

U.S. Embassy Jakarta

Address:

Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5,

Jakarta 10110, Indonesia

Tel.: (021) 350-8467

Fax.:(021) 350-8466

Email: ircjakarta@state.gov

Website: http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/irc.html

Walk-in Visitors

(by appointment only):

Monday to Friday; 07:30 to 16:00

Closed on U.S. and Indonesian holidays.

IRC Resources on U.S. Military Issues

JOURNALS/MAGAZINES

Current History: A Journal

of Contemporary World

Affairs. Current History,

Inc., United States. ISSN:

0011-3530

Provides a forum for leading

scholars and specialists to

analyze events and trends in

every region of a rapidly changing world. Link:

http://www.currenthistory.com

Foreign Affairs

Council on Foreign Relations, Inc., United States.

ISSN: 0015-7120

Discusses international politics and economic

thought. Link: http://www.foreignaffairs.org

International Security. M I T Press, United

States. ISBN: 0162-2889

Publishes essays on all aspects of the control

and use of force from all political viewpoints.

Articles cover contemporary policy issues,

probing the historical and theoretical and ques-

tions behind them. Link: http://

www.mitpressjournals.org/loi/isec

BOOKS

Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy/Mark M.

Lowenthal: CQ Press, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-87289-600-0

The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace

with America's Military/Dana Priest : W. W.

Norton & Company; , 2003. ISBN: 978-

0393010244

The Oxford Companion to American Military

History/ John Whiteclay Chambers II. Oxford

University Press, USA; 2000. ISBN: 978-

0195071986

Strategic Challenges:

America's Global Secu-

rity Agenda / Stephen J.

Flanagan , James A.

Schear : Potomac Books

Inc.; 2008.

ISBN: 978-1597971218

The United States, NATO, and a New Multilat-

eral Relationship/Frank R. Douglas : Praeger,

2007.

ISBN: 978-0313344763

DATABASES

The IRC maintains access to many commercial

databases to respond to your information needs.

The IRC professionals can search these data-

bases for you, which include:

Global Issues in Context offers international

viewpoints on a wide variety of global issues,

topics, and current events. Issue and country

pages bring together details, news, and analysis

of social, political, military, economic, environ-

mental, health, and cultural issues.

CQ Global Researcher reports cover the most

current and controversial global issues of the

day, from 1923 to the present. Just for the

United States perspective, use CQ Researcher.

For more books, journals, magazines

and articles, please contact

the IRC at:

021-350-8467

ircjakarta@state.gov